[Nicholas Gliserman]

I wanted to share this job opportunity at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History with this community in case anybody knows a student or recent alumni who might be a good fit!

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (GLI) is the nation’s leading American history organization dedicated to K–12 education. The Institute’s mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources. Since its founding in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute has created powerful and meaningful ways to teach and learn history. Focusing on primary sources, the Institute offers teacher seminars, online courses, exhibitions, digital materials, and print publications that enable students of all ages and backgrounds to study the nation’s past.

The Institute brings the work of today’s leading historians into classrooms and homes around the globe. Through public events, publications, posters, videos, exhibitions, and essays, and a dedicated website rich in primary sources, the Institute brings every period of American history to life. The Institute’s diverse education programs, including the acclaimed Hamilton Education Program, provide opportunities to explore five centuries of American history. The Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School network comprises nearly nine million students and 56,000 teachers from more than 30,000 schools worldwide.

The Role

GLI is currently seeking a technical support staff member for our digital team to help our users and staff navigate and troubleshoot problems with the GLI website and other technical systems. Responsibilities include administering our support inbox and ticketing system, resolving low-level problems where documented solutions exist, training staff in how to use digital technology, testing new features during the development process, and learning new technical skills as needed from the web development team and systems administrator. This is a fantastic opportunity for a digital humanist or otherwise digitally savvy history lover to launch a meaningful career in technology.

The right candidate will have excellent communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. They will be proactive, organized, and a fast learner. They will be able to patiently explain technology and technology concepts to people with a wide range of technical skill levels in a way that ultimately helps them to solve their problems. Applicants should have a basic understanding of web development and databases, but they do not need to be experts. Though it is not necessary, it would be a bonus to have experience with a Content Management System (CMS) like Drupal or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) such as Salesforce.

This role reports to the Assistant Director of Technical Services. The position is based in New York City. Some weekend and evening hours are required. The Institute is currently operating remotely and will likely return to a hybrid schedule in the coming months.

Roles and Responsibilities (including, but not limited to)

Support

• Be the first point of contact for users and staff who need help with a technical issue
• Monitor the support inbox, sorting, redirecting, and responding to all incoming emails
• Resolve straightforward problems when documented solutions exist
• Forward the more challenging problems to appropriate staff members
• Administer and maintain the ticketing and bug-tracking systems
• Inform department head of frequently reported and critical problems
Training & Documentation

• Write easy-to-understand training materials for GLI staff, especially those who create content for the website and work with Salesforce
• Conduct group training sessions and create video tutorials to supplement written training materials
• Provide staff throughout GLI with one-on-one support when email alone cannot resolve a problem
• Add to our knowledge base for responding to frequently encountered problems
Testing

• Coordinate testing process as we develop new features
• Help identify technical problems and bugs at the start of the testing process
• Work with other departments to solicit their feedback later in the testing process
Learning

• Develop new technical skills as needed from documentation, online resources, and digital team members
Skills and Qualifications

• Basic understanding of web development and database concepts
• Familiarity with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Experience with Drupal or other CMS, Salesforce or other CRM, and a digital design software like Adobe Creative Cloud a plus
• Experience supporting a technical application a plus
• Ability to learn new technologies quickly
• Teaching or training experience
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
• Punctuality and reliability
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• An ability to handle all situations with a calm and professional approach
• A can-do attitude and demonstrated ability to problem-solve under pressure
• Connection to the Institute’s mission, American history, and K–12 education a plus
To Apply

Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume in a single file to hr@gilderlehrman.org. Please include “Technical Support Coordinator” in the subject line of your email. Please also let us know how you heard about the role.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute offers a generous and inclusive benefits package and a paid winter recess (in 2022, this will be December 26-30).

The Gilder Lehrman Institute is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, sex, gender identity, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, or any other legally protected status.

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